Department of Health and Social Care

Allergies: Education and Health Services

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve allergy awareness in (1) educational, and (2) health care, settings.

Lord Kamall: In 2020, health education became statutory in schools. As part of the health and prevention topic, pupils are taught the facts and science relating to allergies, immunisation and vaccination. For 95% of allergy patients, their condition can be managed by primary or other non-specialist allergy services, such as with routine therapies and advice. The Royal College of General Practitioners have developed an online resource to support continuing professional development and revalidation, which aims to educate and improve awareness amongst general practitioners about the various presentations of allergic disease. To raise awareness among patients, carers and healthcare professionals on the use of Adrenaline Auto-injectors (AAIs), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency conducted a communications campaign to improve the safe and effective use of AAIs. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence promotes guidance on a range of allergies, including food allergy in those aged under 19 years old, anaphylaxis and drug allergy online and through newsletters and other media. While this guidance is not mandatory, health and care commissioners are expected to take them fully into account.

Abortion

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what periodic review of literature they conduct in respect of the latest scientific evidence on foetal viability.

Lord Kamall: Officials regularly review new evidence on foetal viability. There is currently no clear consensus from the medical profession that the age of viability has reduced below 24 weeks.

Allergies: Health Services

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of allergy services by (1) region, and (2) integrated care system.

Lord Kamall: No specific assessment has been made. Allergy services in England are currently commissioned through clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), considering the needs of the local population. A small number of specialist allergy services for patients with rare and complex conditions are commissioned by NHS England’s specialised commissioning. Its service specification states that centres should provide equity of access to best practice standards for diagnosis and management, based on current national and international guidelines.Integrated care boards will be established on 1 July 2022 and will assume the commissioning functions of CCGs as well as some of NHS England’s commissioning functions.

Allergy UK: Patients

Viscount Stansgate: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Allergy's UK'sPatient Charter, published on 5 May; and what steps they will take to support it.

Lord Kamall: Whilst no formal assessment has been made, we have noted the Charter’s focus on quality standards of care, access to accurate information and equality.Allergy services in England are commissioned through clinical commissioning groups to meet the needs of the local population. A small number of specialist allergy services for patients with rare and complex conditions are commissioned through NHS England and NHS Improvement’s specialised commissioning. The service specification specifies that centres provide equity of access to best practice standards for diagnosis and management, based on current national and international guidelines.The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to engage with stakeholders to understand the needs of people with allergies and how services could be improved. This includes patient and public voice membership in NHS England and NHS Improvement’s clinical reference group which provides clinical advice and leadership on specialised immunology and allergy services.

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they will take to (1) control infections, and (2) reduce costs, in NHS controlled hospitals.

Lord Kamall: On 14 April 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement published the National infection prevention and control manual for England, which sets out how Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs) are to be used by all staff in all settings regardless of whether infection is known to be present to ensure the safety of those being cared for, staff and visitors in the care environment. SICPs may be insufficient to prevent cross transmission of specific infectious agents. Additional precautions called Transmission Based Precautions may be required when caring for patients with known or suspected infection or colonisation. Clinical judgement and decisions should be made by staff on what additional precautions are required. A copy of the manual is attached.The Government has set an efficiency target of 2.2% for the National Health Service, which NHS England and NHS Improvement have incorporated into planning guidance. In the draft annual plans, NHS systems have set out cost savings across a number of categories. These include temporary staffing, digital investments, purchasing of goods and services and estate running costs. There are also national programmes intended to support organisations to reduce costs, including agency staffing reductions, procurement of goods and services at a national scale and support organisations to review patient pathways to improve patient outcomes and reduce cost.Manual  (pdf, 1445.4KB)

General Practitioners: Migrant Workers

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to permitoverseas-born trainee GPs to stay in Britain at the end of their training.

Lord Kamall: We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and the profession to understand the barriers faced by international medical graduates in general practitioner (GP) specialty training. The two-year General Practice Fellowship programme guarantees the opportunity for every newly qualified GP entering general practice, including international medical graduates, to receive funded mentorship, one funded session of continuing professional development opportunities per week and rotational placements in Primary Care Networks to develop their experience and support their transition into the workforce.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs: Appeals

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have they made of the impact of the policy set out in the SEND review which makes mediation mandatory before allowing families to go to the SEND tribunal, on levels of (1) stress, and (2) administration, for families with disabled children.

Baroness Barran: Throughout the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Review, parents and carers told us how lengthy, stressful, and often expensive, the tribunal process can be.The department’s proposals set out in the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper, which is subject to consultation, seek to enable issues to be resolved earlier and improve relationships locally by strengthening mediation, including consulting on making it mandatory.In the current system, in most cases, families must secure a mediation certificate before registering an appeal with the tribunal, but they do not have to participate in the mediation itself. If the parent or young person does decide to proceed with mediation, then the local authority must ensure that it arranges for mediation between it and the child's parent or young person within 30 days.Waiting for a SEND tribunal hearing can take significantly longer. The tribunal has a performance measure that 75% of appeals should be brought to a hearing and the decision issued within 22 weeks.Mediation is effective in most cases. In 2021, 74% of mediation cases were settled without the need to progress to a tribunal. Mediation is free of charge for families.The department will make sure there is appropriate support available to parents to help them understand the mediation process and how best to engage with it. Parents will still be able to go to a tribunal if necessary.The green paper is now out for public consultation on its proposals until 22 July.

Department for International Trade

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-pacific Partnership: Patents

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the UK's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on the rights of representation of UK patent attorneys before the Unified Patent Court.

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK negotiators will seek to protect patent attorneys' rights of representation before the Unified Patent Court during accession negotiations to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Government cannot comment on the sensitive detail of live negotiations; however, accession will only take place on terms beneficial to the UK. The UK has a world leading intellectual property regime and will not sign trade deals that compromise it. The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership sets clear and consistent rules for the intellectual property (IP) sector which will benefit UK businesses, attorneys, and consumers.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Hong Kong: Human Rights and Religious Freedom

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by Cardinal Charles Bo of 14 May, concerning the threat to human rights and religious freedom in Hong Kong; and what discussions, if any, they have had with the Cardinal.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Sino-British Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty between the UK and China, and under this China committed to uphold Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and protect the rights and freedoms of its people. This explicitly includes freedom of expression and freedom of religious belief.We continue to make clear to mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities our strong opposition to the National Security Law, which is being used to curtail freedoms, punish dissent and shrink the space for opposition, free press and civil society.The FCDO meets with key stakeholders from all sides on a range of foreign policy issues.

Russia: Sanctions

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the effectiveness of international sanctions against Russia, and (2) any potential gaps in those sanctions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: With our allies we have introduced the most significant economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced and they are having an impact. Since the invasion, the UK has sanctioned over 1,000 individuals and 100 entities, including hitting Putin's inner circle, oligarchs with a net global worth of over £117 billion under the Russia sanctions regime. Sanctions imposed by the UK and its international partners are having deep and damaging consequences for Putin's ability to wage war, with 60% (£275 billion) of Russian foreign currency reserves currently frozen. Analysis shows Russia is heading for the deepest recession since the collapse of the Soviet Union. We will continue to put more pressure on Putin's regime, including through further sanctions.

Russia: China

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made, if any, of the value of the economic support provided to Russia by Chinese state-owned enterprises.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The world is watching what China chooses to say and do in response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. We have been clear that if China wants to be seen as a responsible global actor, it should take concrete steps to show that it does not support Russia's actions. We continue to engage at all levels to urge China to use its relationship with Russia to contribute to peace and stability, and not to fuel aggression.

Russia: Sequestration of Assets

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their ability to redeploy frozen Russian foreign exchange reserves held in the UK for (1) humanitarian, and (2) reconstruction purposes, in eastern Europe including Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On the enactment of an asset freeze, the funds and economic resources are frozen immediately by the person in possession or control of them. The release of frozen assets may be accomplished legally with a licence from the Treasury's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. The UK along with our allies will continue to put more pressure on Putin's regime until he withdraws his troops and ends this unjust war. Nothing and no one is off the table.

Russia: Sanctions

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to enact secondary sanctions against (1) Chinese state-owned companies, (2) Chinese entities, and (3) individuals, proven to establish commercial, economic or financial arrangements which would alleviate or circumvent international sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In lockstep with our allies, we are introducing the largest and most severe economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced, to help cripple Putin's war machine. We have now sanctioned over 1000 individuals and over 100 entities since Putin's invasion of Ukraine.The world is watching what China chooses to say and do in response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. We continue to engage at all levels to urge China to use its relationship with Russia to contribute to peace and stability, and not to fuel aggression. We do not speculate on future designations under the sanctions regime.

Belarus: Sanctions

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest position of sanctions for Belarus.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since 1 March we have launched a series of sanctions against Belarusian individuals and organisations in response to the role the country is playing in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including facilitating the invasion from within its borders. On 1 March four senior defence officials and two military enterprises were sanctioned with immediate effect under the UK's Russia sanctions regime. Individuals sanctioned will be unable to travel to the UK and any UK-based assets will be frozen.These designations are in addition to the wide-ranging measures we have already imposed on Belarus under our Belarus sanctions regime, which include sanctions on President Lukashenko and 117 other individuals and entities as well as trade, financial and aviation sanctions. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have committed extending recent Russia sanctions to Belarus in due course. The Lukashenko regime will be made to feel the economic consequences for its support for Putin.

Russia: Sanctions

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they monitor the economic support that Russia receives from other countries as part of assessing the effectiveness of sanctions; and if not, what plans they have to implement such a mechanism.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: UK sanctions have been coordinated with international allies to impose severe cost on Putin and his regime. We are acting together, as our collective impact is greater than the sum of its parts. Russia seeks to have economic, diplomatic and industrial relations with a very wide range of countries. We assess that these will be severely impacted by Russia's aggressive and unlawful actions against Ukraine.

Israel: Palestinians

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the judgment by Israel’s High Court on 4 May concerning the eviction of Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta.

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the eviction of the Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta.

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what humanitarian support they are providing to Palestinian families evicted from their homes in Masafer Yatta.

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the eviction of Palestinian families from Masafer Yatta will have on the prospects for negotiating a two-state solution in the Middlle East.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. Our opposition to the demolition of Palestinian property and the evictions of Palestinians from their homes is long-standing. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to Palestinians and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

Russia: Orthodox Church

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to freeze the assets of the Russian Orthodox Church in the UK.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since Russia's invasion, the UK has issued travel bans and asset freezes to over a thousand of Russia's most significant and high-value individuals and over 100 of its businesses. With our allies, we are and continue to impose the largest and most severe economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced, focusing on measures that have the greatest impact rather than the quantity. It is not appropriate to speculate on specific designations in the future. To do this could reduce the impact of the designations.

Russia: Sanctions

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to impose sanctions on (1) Patriarch Kirill, and (2) other bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, who have supported (a) President Putin, and (b) the government of Russia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since Russia's invasion, the UK has issued travel bans and asset freezes to over a thousand of Russia's most significant and high-value individuals and over 100 of its businesses. With our allies, we are and continue to impose the largest and most severe economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced, focusing on measures that have the greatest impact rather than the quantity. It is not appropriate to speculate on specific designations in the future. To do this could reduce the impact of the designations.

Ministry of Defence

Future Combat Air System: Procurement

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the planned procurement costs of the Tempest programme.

Baroness Goldie: The 2021 Defence Command Paper said that we would invest over £2 billion in Future Combat Air System over the following four years. This includes funding for the Concept and Assessment Phase, which was launched in summer last year, with an initial investment of £250 million in a contract with Team Tempest industry partners to deliver it. The total ultimately invested thereafter will be contingent on decisions made towards the end of the Concept and Assessment Phase.

Military Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a sixth generation manned fighter and its accompanying Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) would be seen as replacing the F35B in its role as part of the carrier air-group.

Baroness Goldie: In line with the Integrated Review, we are continuing to develop Future Combat Air System (FCAS) as a replacement for the capabilities provided by our Typhoon aircraft. Advances in technology mean it is being designed to deliver an even larger range and depth of capabilities, including greater networked interoperability with uncrewed aircraft and F-35.

Military Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is an approved staff requirement for a sixth generation manned fighter; and if so, whether the number of (1) manned aircraft, and (2) supporting Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), has been accepted as part of the defence programme.

Baroness Goldie: The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is being designed to deliver sixth-generation capabilities for UK combat air, to meet the requirement for a replacement for Typhoon. The FCAS programme entered the Concept and Assessment Phase in summer 2021. This phase will define and begin design of the system, mature key technologies and invest in the skilled workforce and advanced industrial capabilities needed to deliver it, helping us to identify an optimal future force mix and enable major programme choices by 2024.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Immunosuppression

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have given to Work Coaches for recommending employment requiring in-person attendance to immunocompromised individuals.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department is committed to providing the best possible support for all claimants to meet their individual circumstances. Claimants with a health condition or disability, including those who are immunocompromised, continue to have tailored commitments agreed based on their personal circumstances, including considering the impact of their health and wider situation.Any work-related requirements are set in discussion with the claimant, tailored to their individual capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable. The guidance available to DWP staff outlines the easements which may be applied including that work search reflects the type and location of jobs which are appropriate to the individual.Although DWP does not routinely provide guidance specifically on supporting people who are immunocompromised, we do ensure that staff are aware of the sources of information available to them relating to medical conditions that are associated with this. Staff are signposted to tools, guidance support and websites to effectively use resources from both internal and external sites, such as information directly from the NHS.This ensures that staff can access the most up to date advice and can use this to inform how they support individual customers.We empower our Work Coaches to use all available resources to best support each claimant, however they are not trained to provide comprehensive healthcare advice therefore while we do discuss the implications certain jobs may have on their health, we would not advise against jobs the claimant wishes to apply for.

Sick Pay

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Department for Work and Pensions Health is everyone's business: Proposals to reduce ill health-related job loss, published in July 2019, what steps they have taken to bring forward its proposals (1) to allow statutory sick pay to be available from the first day of absence, and (2) to change statutory sick pay rules to help an employee returning from a period of absence to have a phased return to work.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: Health is Everyone’s Business (2019) consulted on a broad package of measures related to the work and health agenda. This included some proposals related to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). In the response to the consultation (2021), Government stated that the pandemic was not the time to introduce significant changes to SSP. As we learn to live with COVID-19, Government is continuing to take a broader look at the role of SSP and is keeping the system under review.

State Retirement Pensions: Terminal Illnesses

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Marie Curie reportDying in Poverty, published in May.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department has noted the recommendations made in the report, values Marie Curie as a key stakeholder and welcomes our ongoing constructive engagement with them and other key end of life charities on policy development in this area. The Government is committed to improving fast tracked access to benefits for people nearing the end of their life. Recent changes to Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance regulations have replaced the current 6-month rule for determining who get this fast-tracked access with a 12-month end of life approach. The Social Security (Special Rules for End of Life) Bill, introduced in the Queens Speech earlier this month, will make similar changes to Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Attendance Allowance (AA). Collectively, these changes, will enable thousands more people who are thought to be in the final year of their life to get fast-tracked access to the benefits they are eligible for.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made with the roll-out of Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government is working to put in place the key measures necessary for preparation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) to begin across England. We are developing regulations which will set out the process that must be followed in preparing a LNRS and guidance on what each Strategy should contain. Development of these two documents is being informed by over 400 responses we received to our consultation which closed in November as well as lessons learnt during our five LNRS pilots (report published here and attached).We are working to identify the geographies that each LNRS will cover and appropriate "responsible authorities" to lead the preparation of each one. We have had very positive initial engagement with potential responsible authorities across the country, building towards agreeing LNRS areas and securing formal appointments later this year.To enable these formal appointments, we are developing our financial offer for responsible authorities to ensure that they have sufficient resource to deliver their new role. We are also compiling the nationally-held data and information that we will provide to each responsible authority to help them prepare their LNRS.LNRS pilots: lessons learned (pdf, 183.0KB)

Nature Conservation

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to publish in full the recommendations at a species level from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee arising from the 7th Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, submitted to Ministers on 19 April.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: JNCC’s seventh Quinquennial Review report provides the Secretary of State with independent scientific advice on proposed changes to Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. We are required to publish recommendations and advice received from JNCC, before both Houses of Parliament under Section 24(3) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. We will consider the recommendations carefully and the Government’s response before aiming to publish JNCC’s advice later this year.

Landscapes Review

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the recommendations of the Landscapes review: National Parks and AONBs led by Julian Glover.

Lord Benyon: The Government published its response to the Landscapes Review on 15 January. We have received over 15,000 responses to our consultation and are currently analysing the consultation responses.Since the review was published, we have launched the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme to provide funding for farmers and land managers to work in partnership with National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) teams to deliver projects on climate, nature, people and place. In the first year of the programme, more than 1,000 projects have been supported.The Government is supporting more diverse and inclusive engagement in our protected landscapes, through programmes such as Generation Green programme, which has been funded through our Green Recovery Challenge Fund. The Government is also running green social prescribing pilots at several sites in or near protected landscapes, which will test how connecting people with nature can improve mental wellbeing.Natural England is implementing an ambitious new landscape designation programme, which includes considering the creation of two new AONBs in the Yorkshire Wolds and Cheshire Sandstone Ridge, and extensions to the Surrey Hills and Chilterns AONBs. The new programme is also exploring new approaches to improve landscapes for people and nature, particularly in and around towns and cities.

Home Office

Internet: Fraud

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the incidence, and (2) aggregate cost to victims, of online fraud; and what assessment they have made of the success of (a) the technology platforms, and (b) enforcement authorities of (i) identifying fraudulent sites or activity, and (ii) effectively countering them.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: As of March 2021, online fraud was estimated, using data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, at 58% of fraud while the volume of fraud against individuals was 4.65 million incidents. The most recent estimate (December 2021) of fraud against individuals was 5.2 million incidents. However, an estimate of online fraud for this period is unavailable at present.The Home Office does not collate statistics regarding costs to victims of online fraud. The most recent estimate of the total cost of fraud against individuals is £4.7 bn for the FY 2015/16. The Home Office also does not measure ‘success’ of technology platforms and enforcement authorities in identifying fraudulent sites and activity and countering them. The Home Office works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre who launched their Suspicious Email Reporting Service in April 2020. This has already led to over 11 million reports received and the removal of over 78,000 scams and 144,000 harmful websites to date.The Government’s programme of work to tackle fraudulent online advertising in collaboration with industry includes the Online Safety Bill and the Online Advertising Programme.

Visas

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) resources, and (2) processes, they have in placeto conduct due diligence on visa applications in relation to (a) national security, and (b) illicit finance, risks.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office and wider law enforcement have resources and processes in place to ensure that the UK offers no safe space for illicit finance, nor individuals who seek to undermine UK national security. Security checks are undertaken as part of all visa applications.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

House of Lords: Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they considerthat the QEII Conference Centre is unsuitable accommodation for the House of Lords; and what evidence they have for this.

Lord Greenhalgh: Levelling Up is central to the Government's mission and the Government would welcome the House of Lords playing a leading role in that effort.Peers relocating out of London during the decant would not only be a powerful symbol but a very practical way to boost local economies and ensure that lawmakers could hear directly from those beyond the capital. For this reason, the Secretary of State cannot support the use of the QEII Conference Centre, a location in the heart of Westminster, as a decant location for the House of Lords.

Right to Buy Scheme

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of awarding housing association tenants capital to buy in the private sector rather than allowing such tenants to buy their properties.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is committed to helping housing association tenants realise their dream of home ownership. We also believe the housing market should work for everyone including those who rent their homes and those who wish to buy them The Government is keeping its homeownership options under review and will announce more details in due course.

Local Government Finance: Climate Change

Lord Shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they plan to give to the promotion ofmunicipal bonds to enable residents to invest in local initiatives to reduce the impact of climate change.

Lord Greenhalgh: DLUHC has consulted with DCMS following their work on municipal bonds for community investment.In 2019 the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport sponsored independent research (attached) into the concept of crowdfunding as a way for people to invest in Local Authority projects in their communities. The report, entitled Financing for Society: Crowdfunding Public Infrastructure, was published by the University of Leeds and included case studies about the use of community municipal bonds for projects including those aimed at tackling climate change. DCMS has no current plans for further promotion of this financing mechanism.Financing for society report (pdf, 441.8KB)

Planning Permission: Biodiversity

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a requirement to deliver biodiversity net gain will be obligatory for planning decisions under the proposed Levelling up and Planning legislation.

Lord Greenhalgh: As the requirement for mandatory biodiversity net gain has already been introduced through the Environment Act 2021, and will be brought into force by 2023, it is not necessary to make provisions for mandatory net gain in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.We are working alongside the principles in the Environment Act 2021 to ensure that development results in environmental improvement rather than merely preventing harm. We will work with Defra to further embed this approach through updates to national planning policy, to ensure that environmental considerations feature fully in all planning decision making.

Land: Sales

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Greenhalgh on 28 April (HL7965), how many applications for theCommunity Right to Bid have been received for local land sales.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Department does not collect this information. Councils in England are responsible for overseeing their own Community Right to Bid schemes and are not required to provide updates to Government on local applications. They are however required to make this information available locally by publishing local updates.

Cabinet Office

Social Services: Reform

Baroness Wheeler: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Infrastructure and Projects Authority has produced any analysis on their social care reforms; and if so, whether this analysis will be published.

Lord True: IPA convened an independent assurance review of the Department for Health and Social Care’s (Adult) Social Care Charging Reform Programme in March 2022, as it does at key stages for all programmes in the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP). It is not standard practice to publish these reviews. IPA has not produced any other analysis on the wider set of social care reforms.

Civil Servants: Redundancy

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the 91,000 civil service jobs that they intend to cut are based in the Home Office.

Lord True: The Prime Minister has tasked the Chancellor, CDL, the Minister for Government Efficiency and the Cabinet Secretary to work together on producing a plan for returning the Civil Service workforce numbers to 2016 levels over the next three years. This work will be overseen by the Efficiency and Value for Money Cabinet Committee. Secretaries of State will lead the drive for reductions within their departments and the Civil Service organisations for which they have responsibility.

Treasury

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to impose a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas producers' profits.

Baroness Penn: The Government is introducing the Energy Profits Levy, a new 25% surcharge on the extraordinary profits the oil and gas sector is making.The new Energy Profits Levy will raise around £5 billion over the next year which will go towards supporting people with the new cost of living measures announced by the Chancellor.As part of the levy a new tax relief is being introduced to encourage firms to invest in the UK. The new 80% Investment Allowance will mean businesses will overall get a 91p tax saving for every £1 they invest.

COP26

Climate Change

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of international efforts so far to deliver the Glasgow Climate Pact.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Delivery of the Glasgow Climate Pact is the top priority for the UK Presidency. Six months on from COP26, the UK and Egypt recently convened Ministers in Copenhagen to discuss progress and heard strong commitment to deliver. We reiterated the need for all countries to revisit and strengthen their NDCs as necessary, for donors to deliver on the $100bn goal and the commitment to double adaptation finance by 2025, and for increased support for Loss and Damage.Since COP26, and following the call in the Glasgow Climate Pact, 5 Parties have submitted Long-Term Strategies and 11 have submitted updates to NDC. A further eight National Adaptation Plans have been published, meaning 2 billion people are now covered by adaptation plans globally. We recently held the 5th Energy Transition Council Meeting where countries reinforced their commitment to implement tailored solutions to decarbonise the power sector more rapidly. Since COP26, 20 new signatories including Greece have joined the Zero Emission Vehicles Declaration, and four new countries have declared their support for the Agriculture Breakthrough.We will continue to provide strong UK leadership and engagement over our Presidency year to make sure promises are kept and delivered to the highest standards, working with all parties and civil society partners to keep momentum high.

Climate Change

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that negotiations under the Glasgow Dialogues result in a financial facility for (1) loss, and (2) damage, relating to climate change.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Glasgow Climate Pact succeeded in putting in place the Glasgow Dialogue to discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage, although it did not agree to the creation of a financial facility. The first dialogue will take place in June 2022, with further dialogues taking place every year to 2024, though these are not formal negotiations. The Glasgow Climate Pact also noted existing funding for climate, disaster reduction and response is relevant to loss and damage.